Live Review: The Killers

Live Review: The Killers

The Killers do a lot of don'ts but rock anyway: Aidin Vaziri | There are certain things you never want to see at a rock show. On Sunday, at the first of two sold-out performances at the Warfield, the Killers flaunted them all before they even played a note: handlebar mustaches, silk vests, scraggly beards, bolo ties, a gong. If someone had thrown in a naked man wearing a flowerpot on his head, it could have easily turned into a Genesis reunion concert. Clearly the Killers are from Las Vegas, where it's not enough to merely change up the sound on their second album, "Sam's Town," but absolutely necessary to have the wardrobe and stage set to go along. In the band members' minds, the pretentious arena rock of their new disc seems to go best with a look popularized by Wyatt Earp in 1876 and a junk shop backdrop reminiscent of "Sanford and Son" a century later. Having said that, the Killers still managed to put on a fantastic show. What they have going for them is the material from their 5-million-strong debut, "Hot Fuss," a delicious shuffle through the best bits of the '80s with liberal swipes at Duran Duran, New Order and the Cure. Gratefully, the set list was generous with the songs from that album -- each one seemingly a hit single -- helping to break up the yawning spells brought on by new tracks such as "Bones" and the single "When You Were Young" with a lightning bolt of glam stomp. It was proof that the Killers could sound huge without even trying or, you know, the bad facial hair.